USER GUIDE

FAMILY-SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS SURVEY

PANORAMA EDUCATION
September 2015
ABOUT THE SURVEY

Overview
Schools that can get families more engaged ind that their students earn higher grades, score higher on tests,
develop better social skills, and are more likely to graduate. In her book A New Wave of Evidence: he Impact of
School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement, Dr. Karen Mapp describes family involvement
as key to improving students’ academic and social outcomes, as well as improving school climate as a whole.

Family engagement is no longer viewed as a one-way street. According to Dr. Mapp, family-school relationships
are still about how schools can more effectively engage parents and guardians. But developing parents’ capacity to
contribute to their children’s learning is just as important. his different approach to thinking about family-
school dynamics requires understanding these relationships as partnerships between groups of stakeholders
invested in student success. he irst step towards building these partnerships is to measure parent and families’
attitudes and perceptions about their ties to their children’s schools.

he Family-School Relationships Survey was developed to provide schools with a clear picture of family
attitudes about an array of topics. he survey covers topics like parent engagement, parent support, school
climate, and parent efficacy. he survey helps schools assess their strengths and areas for improvement in a
number of key areas.

Who Should Use This Survey?

he Family-School Relationships Survey is designed to be used by principals, district staff, school boards, state
Departments of Education, or parent/teacher organizations. he survey can be administered to any K-12 school
community (public, private, independent, charter, urban, or rural) and has already been used by thousands of
schools nationwide.

Research Process
Dr. Hunter Gehlbach led the development of the Family-School Relationships Survey. Dr. Gehlbach is an
Associate Professor at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, a leading survey
methodologist and education researcher, and a former high school social studies teacher. Dr. Gehlbach also serves
as the Director of Research at Panorama Education. Joining the research team were Co-Principal Investigators
Dr. Karen Mapp and Dr. Richard Weissbourd, both from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

hrough a rigorous development process, the research team designed the Family-School Relationships Survey
using a six-step system that adhered to best practices in the science of survey design. his process included an
extensive literature review, focus groups, synthesis, expert review, and cognitive pre-testing.
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Using the Survey
The Family-School Relationships Survey is structured as a series of scales, or groups of questions, that work
together to measure a single construct, or topic. By selecting the right scales (rather than picking individual
questions), educators can choose exactly what they wish to measure while maintaining the accuracy of the survey
instrument.

Each scale asks parents and guardians to respond to questions as opposed to rating their level of agreement or
disagreement with statements as many surveys do. By phrasing survey items in an easy-to-understand format
that is familiar to them, the survey seems more like a conversation or a dialogue with the school. More
importantly, this approach minimizes measurement error.

he survey can be used by schools to gather feedback for a variety of purposes. Educators may use the survey to
determine strengths and areas for improvements as a needs assessment. Many schools examine results across
different groups of parents to see how different groups view the school. Other schools measure change in
families’ attitudes over time. Using the survey consistently over time allows educators to identify important trends
in parent attitudes as their children transition from one school to the next. If a school has made outreach efforts
to new families, this survey can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions and can be a key
source of stakeholder feedback. Fundamentally, the survey is designed to give educators the data they need to
build more effective partnerships between schools and families.

he research team behind the Family-Schools Relationship Survey encourages educators to message the survey
to families as an opportunity to tell the schools what they can do to: support student learning outside of school,
make the school a more welcoming place, and build lasting partnerships between families and schools.

In the following pages, we outline the scales associated with the Family-School Relationships Survey. You will
also ind additional survey items, including open-ended and demographic questions, that many schools may
choose to incorporate. We are excited about the power of this new survey tool to help schools build stronger
relationships with parents and families. If we can provide you with support in using the scales, please contact
research@panoramaed.com.

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WHAT IT MEASURES

Family Engagement p. 6
he degree to which families become involved with and interact with their child’s school.
Example Question: How often do you meet in person with teachers at your child's school?

School Fit p. 7
Families’ perceptions of how well a school matches their child's developmental needs.
Example Question: How well do you feel your child’s school is preparing him/her for his/her next academic year?

Family Support p. 8
Families’ perceptions of the amount of academic and social support that they provide their child with outside of
school.
Example Question: How often do you and your child talk when s/he is having a problem with others?

Family Efficacy p. 9
How conident families are with regard to key parenting skills.
Example Question: How conident are you in your ability to support your child's learning at home?

Learning Behaviors p. 10
Families’ perceptions of their child’s learning-related behaviors.
Example Question: How much effort does your child put into school-related tasks?

School Climate p. 11
Perceptions of the overall social and learning climate of the school.
Example Question: To what extent do you think that children enjoy going to your child's school? 

Grit p. 12
Perceptions of how well students are able to persevere through setbacks to achieve important long-term goals.
Example Question: If your child fails to reach an important goal, how likely is s/he to try again?

Barriers to Engagement p. 13
Factors that can create challenges for families to interact with or become involved with their child’s school.
Example Question: How big of a problem are the following issues for becoming involved with your child's current school?

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Roles and Responsibilities p. 14
Perceptions of who should be primarily responsible for school success.
Example Question: Who is primarily responsible for ensuring good communication between home and school?

School Safety p. 15
Perceptions of student physical and psychological safety at school.
Example Question: How likely is it that someone from your child’s school will bully him/her online?

Free Responses p. 16
Open-ended questions about a variety of topics that may be of interest to many schools.
Example Question: What can the school do to help your child engage in learning activities more productively at home?

Background Questions p. 18
Demographic questions about survey-takers that could be included in the survey and may be of interest to many
schools.
Example Question: What is your race or ethnicity?

Dr. Hunter Gehlbach is the Director of Research at Panorama Education and an Associate
Professor of Education at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. He is
an educational psychologist with an academic focus in helping social scientists and practitioners
design better surveys and questionnaires. He is particularly interested in helping schools think
about ways to use surveys to improve teacher and student outcomes, and teaches classes in each of these areas at
UC Santa Barbara. After graduating with a B.A. from Swarthmore College in psychology and education, Dr.
Gehlbach taught high school social studies before returning to school for a M.Ed. in school counseling from the
University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Stanford.

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COMPLETE LIST OF SCALES

Family Engagement

he degree to which families become involved with and interact with their child’s school.

Item Responses

How often do you meet in person with teachers Once or twice

Almost never Every few months Monthly Weekly or more
at your child's school? per year

How involved have you been with a parent Somewhat Extremely

Not at all involved Slightly involved Quite involved
group(s) at your child's school? involved involved

In the past year, how often have you visited your

Almost never Once or twice Every few months Monthly Weekly or more
child's school?

In the past year, how often have you discussed

your child's school with other parents from the Almost never Once or twice Every few months Monthly Weekly or more
school?

How involved have you been in fundraising Somewhat Extremely

Not at all involved Slightly involved Quite involved
efforts at your child's school? involved involved

In the past year, how often have you helped out

Almost never Once or twice Every few months Monthly Weekly or more
at your child's school?

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School Fit

Families' perceptions of how well a school matches their child’s developmental needs.

Item Responses

How well do you feel your child’s school is

preparing him/her for his/her next academic Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
year?

How much of a sense of belonging does your No belonging A little bit of Quite a bit of Tremendous
Some belonging
child feel at his/her school? at all belonging belonging belonging

At your child's school, how well does the overall

Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
approach to discipline work for your child?

Given your child’s cultural background, how

Not good at all Slightly good Somewhat good Quite good Extremely good
good a it is his/her school?

How well do the activities offered at your child’s

Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
school match his/her interests?

How comfortable is your child in asking for Not comfortable Slightly Somewhat Extremely
Quite comfortable
help from school adults? at all comfortable comfortable comfortable

How well do the teaching styles of your child's

Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
teachers match your child's learning style?

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Family Support

Families' perceptions of the amount of academic and social support that they provide their child with outside of
school.

Item Responses

How often do you have conversations with your

Almost all the
child about what his/her class is learning at Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently
time
school?

How much effort do you put into helping your A little bit of Quite a bit of A tremendous
Almost no effort Some effort
child learn to do things for himself/herself ? effort effort amount of effort

How often do you help your child engage in

Almost all the
activities which are educational outside the Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently
time
home?

To what extent do you know how your child is A tremendous

Not at all A little bit Somewhat Quite a bit
doing socially at school? amount

How often do you help your child understand Almost all the
Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently
the content s/he is learning in school? time

How well do you know your child's close

Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
friends?

How often do you and your child talk when s/he Almost all the
Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently
is having a problem with others? time

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Family Efficacy

How conident families are with regard to key parenting skills.

Item Responses

How conident are you that you can motivate Not conident Somewhat Extremely
Slightly conident Quite conident
your child to try hard in school? at all conident conident

How conident are you in your ability to Not conident Somewhat Extremely
Slightly conident Quite conident
connect with other parents? at all conident conident

How conident are you in your ability to support Not conident Somewhat Extremely
Slightly conident Quite conident
your child's learning at home? at all conident conident

How conident are you that you can help your Not conident Somewhat Extremely
Slightly conident Quite conident
child develop good friendships? at all conident conident

How conident are you in your ability to make

Not conident Somewhat Extremely
sure your child's school meets your child's at all
Slightly conident
conident
Quite conident
conident
learning needs?

How conident are you in your ability to make Not conident Somewhat Extremely
Slightly conident Quite conident
choices about your child's schooling? at all conident conident

How conident are you in your ability to help

Not conident Somewhat Extremely
your child deal with his/her emotions Slightly conident Quite conident
at all conident conident
appropriately?

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Learning Behaviors

Families' perceptions of their child's learning-related behaviors.

Item Responses

Positive Learning Behaviors

How often does your child read for fun? Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently Almost all the time

How much effort does your child put A tremendous

Almost no effort A little bit of effort Some effort Quite a bit of effort
into school-related tasks? amount of effort

How motivated is your child to learn the Somewhat Extremely

Not at all motivated Slightly motivated Quite motivated
topics covered in class? motivated motivated

On average, how well does your child

work independently on learning Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
activities at home?

In general, how well does your child

Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
learn from feedback about his/her work?

Negative Learning Behaviors

How often does your child struggle to

Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently Almost all the time
get organized for school?

When working on school activities at

Not easily at all Slightly easily Somewhat easily Quite easily Extremely easily
home, how easily is your child distracted?

How often does your child give up on

Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently Almost all the time
learning activities that s/he inds hard?

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School Climate

Perceptions of the overall social and learning climate of the school.

Item Responses

To what extent do you think that children Enjoy a

Do not enjoy at all Enjoy a little bit Enjoy somewhat Enjoy quite a bit tremendous
enjoy going to your child's school?  amount

How motivating are the classroom lessons at Not at all Slightly Somewhat Extremely
Quite motivating
your child's school? motivating motivating motivating motivating

How fair or unfair is the school's system of Neither

Somewhat Slightly Slightly Somewhat
Very unfair fair nor Very fair
evaluating children? unfair unfair fair fair
unfair

How much does the school value the diversity A tremendous

Not at all A little bit Some Quite a bit
of children's backgrounds? amount

How well do administrators at your child’s

school create a school environment that helps Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
children learn?

Overall, how much respect do you think the

A little bit of Quite a bit of A tremendous
children at your child's school have for the Almost no respect
respect
Some respect
respect amount of respect
staff ?

Overall, how much respect do you think the

A little bit of Quite a bit of A tremendous
teachers at your child's school have for the Almost no respect
respect
Some respect
respect amount of respect
children?

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Grit

Perceptions of how well students are able to persevere through setbacks to achieve important long-term goals.

Item Response Anchors

If your child has a problem while working

towards an important goal, how well can s/he Not well at all Slightly well Somewhat well Quite well Extremely well
keep working?

How often does your child stay focused on the

Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently Almost always
same goal for several months at a time?

Some people pursue some of their goals for a

long time, and others change their goals
frequently. Over the next several years, how Not at all likely Slightly likely Somewhat likely Quite likely Extremely likely
likely is your child to continue to pursue one of
his/her current goals?

When your child is working on a project that

matters a lot to him/her, how focused can s/he Not at all focused Slightly focused Somewhat focused Quite focused Extremely focused
stay when there are lots of distractions?

If your child fails to reach an important goal,

Not at all likely Slightly likely Somewhat likely Quite likely Extremely likely
how likely is s/he to try again?

How likely is it that your child can motivate

himself/herself to do unpleasant tasks if it will Not at all likely Slightly likely Somewhat likely Quite likely Extremely likely
help him/her accomplish his/her goals?

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Barriers to Engagement

Factors that can create challenges for families to interact with or become involved with their child’s school.

Item Responses

How big of a problem are the following issues for becoming involved with your child's current school?

Not a problem
Childcare needs at all
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem

Not a problem
Transportation-related challenges at all
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem

Not a problem
Concerns about getting to the school safely at all
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem

Not a problem
How busy your schedule is at all
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem

Not a problem
School staff seem too busy at all
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem

You feel unsure about how to communicate Not a problem

Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
with the school at all

he school provides little information about Not a problem

Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
involvement opportunities at all

Not a problem
he school is not welcoming to parents at all
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem

he school does not communicate well with Not a problem

Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
people from your culture at all

You do not feel a sense of belonging with Not a problem

Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
your child's school community at all

Negative memories of your own school Not a problem

Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
experience at all

Your child does not want you to contact the Not a problem
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
school at all

You worry that adults at the school will treat Not a problem
Small problem Medium problem Large problem Very large problem
your child differently if you raise a concern at all

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Roles and Responsibilities

Perceptions of who should be primarily responsible for school success.

Item Responses

Many different factors play a role in school success. Each statement below represents something that may contribute to children's success in school.
Please indicate who you think is primarily responsible for each factor by checking the appropriate box. If you do not think an item is important
for school success, please check "N/A".

Make sure that the children understand what is

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
being taught at school

Ensure children have good relationships with

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
their peers

Make time for doing fun activities that are

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
unrelated to schoolwork

Make sure that the children have an adult to

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
talk to at school

Identify what children are most interested in

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
learning

Make sure that children have enough time set

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
aside to do all of their school-related work

Help children deal with their emotions

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
appropriately

Make sure the children’s learning environment

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
is safe

Ensure good communication between home

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
and school

Call attention to decisions about learning that

do not seem to be in the best interest of the Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
children

Make sure children are supported to do their

Primarily parents Primarily schools Primarily children N/A
best in school

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School Safety

Perceptions of student physical and psychological safety at school.

Item Response Anchors

How often do you worry about violence at your

Almost never Once in a while Sometimes Frequently Almost always
child's school?

If a student is bullied at your child’s school, how

difficult is it for him/her to get help from an Not at all difficult Slightly difficult Somewhat difficult Quite difficult Extremely difficult
adult?

How likely is it that someone from your child’s

Not at all likely Slightly likely Somewhat likely Quite likely Extremely likely
school will bully him/her online?

Overall, how unsafe does your child feel at

Not at all unsafe Slightly unsafe Somewhat unsafe Quite unsafe Extremely unsafe
school?

To what extent are drugs a problem at your Not a problem at A little bit of a A moderate A tremendous
Quite a problem
child’s school? all problem problem problem

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ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Free Responses

Open-ended questions about a variety of topics that may be of interest to many schools.

Suggested Free Response Questions

What can the school do to help your child engage in learning activities more productively at home?

What 1-2 steps could your school take to improve the social climate of the school for students?

If you were in charge of the school, how would you try to engage more parents from your community?

Family Engagement

What recommendation would you make to the school for how to improve communications with parents?

What is the best thing your school does to help parents become involved at the school?

School Fit

If you could change one aspect of your child's school to help him/her learn more, what would you change? Why?

What changes could your school make to help your child feel like the school is a great it for him/her?

What is the best thing that the school does to help your child feel like the school is a good it for him/her?

Family Support

In what ways might the school help you support your child more effectively?

In what ways might other parents from your school help you support your child?

What does the school do well in helping you support your child?

Family Efficacy

What sorts of things might help you feel more conident about your role as a parent?

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Learning Behaviors

If another parent asked your advice for getting their child to be a more motivated learner outside of school, what suggestions

would you give him/her?

School Climate

What characteristic of your child's school is the most helpful for his/her learning?

What aspect of your child's school is the most beneicial for his/her social growth?

What do you think your school could do to improve the social feel of the school for students?

What are the most important things your child's school does to create a positive social climate for students?

Barriers to Engagement

What is the biggest obstacle that prevents you from getting more involved at your child's school?

Please list any ways that you can think of that the school might help you overcome this obstacle.

Roles and Responsibilities

What do you think parents' most important responsibilities are for ensuring that their child/children have a successful school

experience?

What is the most important thing for a school to do to ensure that all children are successful in school?

Other

In an average day, how many hours of "screen time" (time in front of computers, television, texting, video games, etc.) does your

child spend?

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Background Questions

Demographic questions about survey-takers that could be included in the survey and may be of interest to many
schools.

What would be the best way for the school/district to stay in communication with you?

Of the following, which source do you use the most to get information about the school/district?

What is your gender?

What is your child’s gender?

What is your race or ethnicity?

What grade is your child in?

What is your relationship to your child?

What is your child’s race or ethnicity?

In which year were you born?

Please indicate the primary language spoken in your childhood home.

Please indicate the primary language you speak with your child currently.

Please select the highest level of education you have completed.

Please indicate your approximate average household income.

On average, what grades do you expect your child to earn in school?

Panorama Education partners with school districts and state departments of

education to design and implement survey programs for students, parents, and
teachers. Panorama offers a technology platform to support survey administration
and create reports that are clear, actionable, and, most importantly, help teachers and administrators improve
their schools. Panorama’s client services team helps districts and states implement survey programs in line
with best practices. Panorama currently runs survey programs in over 6,000 schools in 35 states, including
those in the Connecticut State Department of Education, San Francisco Uniied School District, and Teach
for America.
Learn more about Panorama:
www.panoramaed.com | contact@panoramaed.com

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